Cleaning The Truck Part... Wax, Soaps etc

[AbleThought]

Hey all about to do a deep cleaning of the Rader... its an 83. Ive gotten great advice from yall for the fiberglass part... bar keepers friend and zep floor wax.. what about the truck part. Im tempted to just grab any old wash and wax but thought id check with you guys. I dont know much about 1983 car paint. So im looking for wash and wax solutions.. thanks

[Donnie]

Hi team, I was planning to follow this thread & perhaps learn something..  I am surprised that there has been not any response,  AT ALL ??/

I assume there are a few folks on here that have opinions, just wondering?  Your favorite car polish, and how do you apply ZEP FLOOR POLISH & the results?

                                                                                         just wondering, donnie

[Back East Don]

1 hour ago, Donnie said:

I am surprised that there has been not any response,  AT ALL ??

In car circles, this is a land mine topic.  Even more epic than many of the ones on this forum.

I cannot say that I would be the definitive word on paint care.  These are old trucks and the paint is about as basic as it can get as it is just enamel.   I just removed the pin stripes on my hood.  The finish was pretty weather worn and had not seen any decent care in some time.  If this is the case with yours, a good cleaning followed with a polishing compound to remove any oxidation would be the first step.  This is what  I did to make the hood look decent.  (Note, take care to avoid the graphics as a rule).  If you just wax over the crap, unlikely it is going to look as good as possible and hey, isn't that the point of all the work.  I mean, if you are going to bother.  Lots of wax out there, each with their own claims.  I like Meguiar's products.  They are pretty widely available.  I've used the NXT liquid wax and the Gold class Quik Wax.  The Quik wax mists on and wipes off pretty easily.  I suggest getting a good base of wax down with something more traditional first.  The mark of a good product is relatively easy application and wipe off properties.  A lot of the waxes I've used in the past are a lot of work to hand buff out.  I'm not saying any of this new stuff is better, just a lot easier.

I use the basic Turtle Wax Polishing Compound if the oxidation of the finish is heavy and not clear coated (these old RV don't fall into that category).  On my newer cars, I use a clay system.  Comes in a kit with a block of silly putty like clay and a spray bottle of surface lubricant.  After washing the vehicle really well, you kneed the clay and then press it out into a pad.  Wet the surface you are working then apply the spray lubricant and then apply elbow grease.  Does a great job on the embedded crap in the finish and the oxidation.  You need to constantly fold and re-kneed the clay as you work along.  Tons of work but excellent results for prepping the finish for wax.

As I've got older, I became less interested in spending that much time working on cleaning and waxing. Lucky if I do it twice a year.  Recently I've found myself with a lot more time.  The RV is one of the beneficiaries of that.

Note: everything comes with directions.  Read and follow them.  Doesn't hurt to also search youtube for the product you are thinking of selecting as there is likely plenty of info out there for it. 

Like this one

 

Edited July 14, 2016 by Back East Don